Peter Paul Mounds and Almond Joy
In 1919, when demand for his confections grew, Halajian and five associates, all of Armenian heritage, opened a business in New Haven to produce and sell his chocolates on a larger scale. Because there were no refrigerators, they made the chocolate by hand at night, when the air was the coolest, and sold the candy during the day.
Peter Paul debuted Mounds, a dark chocolate-covered coconut candy bar, in 1921 (named “Mounds” for its shape), and Almond Joy in 1946, after WWII had ended and access to rationed sugar and coconut was restored. Almond Joy used the same coconut center as Mounds, but with whole almonds pressed into the top and with a coating of milk chocolate instead of dark.
Peter Paul merged with Cadbury U.S.A. in 1978, and in 1986 Cadbury U.S.A. merged with the Hershey Foods Corporation, now the world's largest candy conglomerate. Today the recipes for Mounds and Almond Joy are the same as they were in the roaring twenties.
See also http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2010/10/homemade-almond-joy/#more-3712 - she also uses sweetened condensed milk, but in different proportions than the Top Secret Recipe
Peter Paul Mounds and Almond Joy
From: Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur
Mounds Bars
Makes about 3 dozen bars
5 ounces Eagle sweetened condensed milk (Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
14 ounces premium shredded or flaked coconut
One 24-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup dry-roasted almonds (for Almond Joys only)
Blend the condensed milk and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar to the mixture a little bit at a time, stirring until smooth. Stir in the coconut. The mixture should be firm.
Pat the mixture firmly into a greased 9x13x2-inch pan. Chill in the refrigerator until firm.
In a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt the chocolate, stirring often. You may also use a microwave oven. Place the chips in a bowl and heat for 1 minute on high: stir, then heat for 1 minute more.
Remove the coconut mixture from the refrigerator and cut it into 1x2-inch bars. Set each coconut bar onto a fork and dip into the chocolate. Tap the fork against the side of the pan or bowl to remove any excess chocolate.
Air-dry at room temperature on waxed paper. This could take several hours, but chocolate sets best at cool room temperature (below 70 degrees). You may speed up the process by placing the bars in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Peter Paul Almond Joy
And if you feel like a nut, follow the above recipe with these changes:
Add 1 cup dry-roasted almonds to the list of ingredients.
Substitute milk-chocolate chips for semisweet chocolate.
In step 8, place two almonds atop each bar before dipping.
Coconut Mounds or Almond Joys
from http://spinningsugar.wordpress.com/
(Yields 24-30 candies)
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 heaping cups of shredded sweetened coconut
Whole almonds (for Almond Joys only)
For Mounds Bars: 12 ounces of a good bittersweet chocolate, chopped and tempered***
For Almond Joys: 12 ounces of a good semisweet chocolate, chopped and tempered ***
Butter the sides of a heavy 2-quart sauce pan. Into the pan, combine the corn syrup, sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
Attach your calibrated candy thermometer to the inside of the pan and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees (F). Add the coconut and continue cooking, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees (F).
Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, and pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl and set it aside to cool completely. This will take about 4 hours and leave it alone. After this 4-hour rest, you may refrigerate the candy for another hour or so to make it easier to handle and shape.
Butter a large cookie sheet and line it with waxed paper. Butter the waxed paper and set the cookie sheet aside.
Using your very clean hands, pinch off a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and shape it into a small rectangle 1-inch wide by 2-inches long. Repeat shaping the candy with the remaining mixture, placing each shaped piece onto the buttered waxed paper.
For Almond Joy candies, press one or two whole almonds into the top of the candies, slightly imbedding them in the coconut. (I do this individually as I shape each candy, so as not to distort the rectangular shape.)
*** Melt and temper your chocolate. Then dip each piece.
Using a dinner fork, place a candy onto the fork and dip into the chocolate then lift out and rake the base of the fork against the edge of the chocolate bowl to remove the excess chocolate. Then, using a second fork for assistance, carefully slide the candy off of the fork and back onto the cookie sheet to harden.
Allow the dipped candies to rest at room temperature for 4 hours for the chocolate to harden.
Store in an airtight container in layers, separated by waxed paper, at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bring the candies to room temperature before serving.
